:01:42. > :01:46.In the north-east: Tributes to Middlesbrough MP it's a Stewart.
:01:46. > :01:56.And we get face-to-face with the candidates who want to be the new
:01:56. > :01:56.
:01:56. > :08:06.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 369 seconds
:08:06. > :08:11.They have been fewer robberies in most of the region. In Durham, the
:08:11. > :08:21.figures dropped by 19% and went up by 2% in Northumbria. There is a
:08:21. > :08:23.
:08:23. > :08:33.mixed picture on car crime. Overall, crime figures are improving. There
:08:33. > :08:36.
:08:36. > :08:39.is a continual demand for more on the streets. It is an issue
:08:39. > :08:47.everywhere the police crime commission has have to work very
:08:47. > :08:51.closely with police. There is a massive challenge for all five
:08:51. > :08:58.people to become police crime commission has in our region. They
:08:58. > :09:08.will have to cut crime would less money and few offices. Office
:09:08. > :09:13.numbers are expected to fall by 7% in Cumbria. One other major issue,
:09:13. > :09:19.because all our police forces budgets are being squeezed. Cleadon
:09:19. > :09:27.needs to save �14.2 million by 2015. Yorkshire needs a �28 million
:09:27. > :09:34.saving. It is a real challenge they are facing. Each police and crime
:09:34. > :09:38.commission will have their own approach. The row -- the worry for
:09:38. > :09:45.as is that a lot of money may be put into preventative measures, but
:09:45. > :09:49.we have to make sure victims of crime and not forgotten. We want to
:09:49. > :09:53.make sure that it is still important to provide those police
:09:53. > :10:00.services. The sheer size of the areas they have to cut but is a
:10:00. > :10:05.problem. Durham police have don't find crime in cities and rural
:10:06. > :10:10.areas. Police crime commission has have to know the levels of problems
:10:10. > :10:14.they are dealing with, so to ensure they have the accurate figures. Yes,
:10:14. > :10:19.there are more people living in towns, but guess what? They like
:10:19. > :10:22.going to the countryside. Unless we tackle crime in the countryside
:10:22. > :10:26.will not be an attractive place. you would like to find out more
:10:26. > :10:36.about the police and crime commission her collections in the
:10:36. > :10:36.
:10:36. > :39:57.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 369 seconds
:39:57. > :40:01.Hello, and a very warm welcome to your local part of the show just
:40:01. > :40:04.for the North East and Cumbria. Coming up: Victims of crime on
:40:04. > :40:08.Teesside put their views to the politicians who want to be be
:40:08. > :40:11.Cleveland's new police commissioner. And we talk to Middlesbrough mayor
:40:11. > :40:16.Ray Mallon about his intentions following the death of Sir Stuart
:40:16. > :40:19.Bell. My guests this week: Sunderland Labour MP Julie Elliott
:40:19. > :40:22.and Conservative Lord, Michael Bates. And the papers have been
:40:22. > :40:25.full of the chancellor mistakenly perhaps travelling first class on a
:40:25. > :40:34.second class ticket. But there also seems to be a loophole allowing
:40:34. > :40:39.some of our MPs to travel first class frequently. Julie Elliott, is
:40:39. > :40:44.it justifiable for MPs to travel first class on expenses? I think if
:40:44. > :40:49.you get a ticket less than the cost of standard class, yes, it is. That
:40:49. > :40:54.is within the transparent, open rules. I suppose less than standard
:40:54. > :40:58.class, we are talking about the top standard class fare? Which is what
:40:58. > :41:02.we have to pay if the changes are made and we have to buy a ticket on
:41:02. > :41:06.the day of travel. Often, if you book a day in advance, you can get
:41:06. > :41:11.a first-class ticket cheaper than a standard class, because they are
:41:11. > :41:17.less popular. So it is swings and roundabouts. I do think the
:41:17. > :41:21.Telegraph is trying to make a story out of something that isn't there.
:41:21. > :41:26.Michael Bates, the problem it is related to what has happened in the
:41:26. > :41:31.past. Do you think it is justifiable? Well, the rules were
:41:31. > :41:36.changed in 2009. For parliamentarians, sometimes you get
:41:36. > :41:41.a clamour, a change in the rules, people abide by the rules and then
:41:41. > :41:45.there is an instant like a George Osborne and people want to change
:41:45. > :41:50.the rules again. If people want to say no first class under any
:41:50. > :41:54.circumstances, most MPs would say, fine. The roles are there at the
:41:54. > :41:58.moment. It is strange at this time that the Chancellor of the
:41:58. > :42:08.Exchequer is berated for travelling first class when his civil servants
:42:08. > :42:09.
:42:09. > :42:12.would trouble in first class. Let's be sensible. -- would travel.
:42:12. > :42:15.Now - have you been unfortunate enough to have your house burgled
:42:15. > :42:18.or your car stolen? Well, when the new police and crime commissioners
:42:18. > :42:21.start work in 2014, they will be responsible not just for setting
:42:21. > :42:24.priorities for policing - but also for looking after victims of crime.
:42:24. > :42:27.So how will those standing for election next month put that into
:42:27. > :42:30.practice? To find out, we invited three of the candidates standing in
:42:30. > :42:37.Cleveland to meet some of those whose lives have been affected by
:42:37. > :42:43.crime. How will they faced a grilling by those they will be
:42:43. > :42:48.charged with protecting? Ron has had two petrol-bomb attacks on his
:42:48. > :42:54.home. To date, nobody has been prosecuted. My family have been
:42:54. > :42:57.tortured but 10 years with very little help from the agencies. I
:42:57. > :43:02.want to know what you would do for victims, because victims get a very
:43:03. > :43:09.broad deal. As a commissioner, I would not accept that continuing.
:43:09. > :43:14.OK, it is the chief constable's responsibility to prevent it
:43:14. > :43:20.happening, but we have to take action to stop that. We need to
:43:20. > :43:26.stop looking at crime figures as figures and look at victim figures.
:43:26. > :43:33.If you change, for example, 41,000 times for -- crimes into victims,
:43:33. > :43:36.that changes your focal point. will be up there with the police on
:43:36. > :43:45.the streets, I will make sure we will work together to tackle the
:43:45. > :43:49.problems. We will make the criminals not vulnerable minority.
:43:49. > :43:55.Next, Wendy. She suffered years of domestic violence and now runs a
:43:55. > :43:59.charity, but is struggling. funding is gone. Where do we get
:43:59. > :44:03.the money to keep these services going? Domestic violence is not
:44:03. > :44:10.going anywhere. We've made progress recently and it would be wrong if
:44:10. > :44:14.that progress was eroded because of lack of funds. The commission a's
:44:14. > :44:20.role is primarily about listening to the community and providing what
:44:20. > :44:26.the community needs. You mentioned earlier at the back to you that a
:44:26. > :44:30.lot of enthusiastic volunteers. I think we need to capitalise on that.
:44:30. > :44:34.She is from a community group in South Bank. Its offices were burnt
:44:34. > :44:41.down by vandals. They have new offices now that crime is still a
:44:41. > :44:46.problem. One of the big issues is the apathy in our community. There
:44:46. > :44:52.is a serious under-reporting of crime. It takes far too long to
:44:52. > :44:55.ring up and make that call. As far as I'm concerned, any victim of
:44:55. > :45:04.crime it must get a police officer visit, and I would make sure that
:45:04. > :45:08.happens. If presence is required by a police officer, it should be done,
:45:08. > :45:13.within a day or the hour. I think we should make it easier for
:45:13. > :45:18.victims to report incidents. candidates also faced problems on
:45:18. > :45:22.drugs and help the young people. But in the end, were their
:45:22. > :45:27.inquisitors convinced they could make a difference? If the police
:45:27. > :45:36.couldn't do it, I cannot see one person making a difference. It is
:45:36. > :45:41.more American-style. I wish we had the sentences that America does.
:45:41. > :45:45.just wonder whether they realise how bad the communities are. Often,
:45:45. > :45:50.people standing for these jobs do not live in what I call the inner-
:45:50. > :45:54.city areas where all the deprivation is. I think as long as
:45:54. > :46:01.the people and the voices of the people get bored into the role
:46:01. > :46:11.itself, then that person will be successful. -- brought into the
:46:11. > :46:13.
:46:13. > :46:17.role. The election is on November 15th. Michael Bates, you read some
:46:17. > :46:22.scepticism there. Why should we believe that one individual over a
:46:22. > :46:26.big area can make a difference to victims of crime? At the moment,
:46:26. > :46:30.there are 17 people on the police authority. People will struggle to
:46:30. > :46:34.remember the names of any of them. People don't know where to go to
:46:34. > :46:38.contact somebody with their real concerns. The very fact we are
:46:38. > :46:40.having a debate here with people who are supposed to be protected by
:46:40. > :46:47.the police talking about policing in their area would people who will
:46:47. > :46:50.now have the power to hire and fire the chief constable and set the
:46:50. > :46:54.level of spending in their area is surely an advance. Those people
:46:54. > :46:59.will be held to account for what they do or don't do by the people
:46:59. > :47:03.that they serve. That has to be a step forward. But they're not going
:47:03. > :47:08.to be able to secure a stiffer sentences, for instance. Is this
:47:08. > :47:14.raising expectations they cannot meet? There are two points to it.
:47:14. > :47:17.The Prime Minister has made an announcement on the sentencing side.
:47:17. > :47:24.Victims of crime be a commissioner can do something to make things
:47:24. > :47:28.tough that the criminals. Can they? It is about making somebody visibly
:47:28. > :47:33.accountable for policing in a given area, so there is it a go to person
:47:33. > :47:38.who is accountable through the ballot box. I think that chimes
:47:38. > :47:42.with what a lot of people want, and as time goes on, we will see those
:47:42. > :47:46.roles will be taken more and more seriously. Julie Elliott, Labour
:47:46. > :47:55.did not support the idea of police commissioners but they are saying
:47:55. > :47:58.they can make a difference to the role now. I think it very -- I
:47:58. > :48:02.think it is a hugely costly exercise. But seeing as we're here
:48:02. > :48:09.now, I think there is an opportunity, because, as Michael
:48:09. > :48:14.said, they are a focal point. They will engage with communities to try
:48:14. > :48:19.and probably enhance what we have already. Northumbria, I do think we
:48:19. > :48:22.have a good liaison between the Community and the police. Crime
:48:22. > :48:26.figures are falling, so how can they do better? The figures out to
:48:26. > :48:32.the minute of falling as a result of Labour policies. It will be
:48:32. > :48:38.interesting to see what happens in a few years. The problem is,
:48:38. > :48:46.candidates will be tempted to talks tough about getting people off the
:48:46. > :48:56.street, when the reality is that people are safer. I think crime
:48:56. > :48:59.
:48:59. > :49:09.novels are falling. But -- levels are falling. I think people need to
:49:09. > :49:09.
:49:09. > :49:13.address the fact that people are not so afraid anymore. There are
:49:13. > :49:18.people who are not from traditional party political backgrounds
:49:18. > :49:22.standing as candidates, that has to be welcomed. The fact they will be
:49:22. > :49:28.directly responsible, working with the chief constables, is going to
:49:28. > :49:32.make a difference on the streets. What is this concern about stoking
:49:32. > :49:40.beer on crime? All politicians have to take this responsibility. When
:49:40. > :49:45.you hear candidate saying they will be out on the streets? Really
:49:45. > :49:48.sticky, you cannot be out with 1.1 million people all the time. But
:49:48. > :49:52.you can set up structures that engage more with the general
:49:52. > :50:02.population. But to stoke up via is a dangerous thing and I don't think
:50:02. > :50:02.
:50:03. > :50:06.anybody should be doing that. -- stoke up fear.
:50:06. > :50:08.You can find out who is standing in your police force area on the BBC
:50:08. > :50:11.website. Just go to bbc.co.uk/policeelections. And in
:50:11. > :50:14.addition to the three Cleveland candidates shown in our film, Joe
:50:15. > :50:22.Michna from the Green Party is also standing, but was unable to make it
:50:22. > :50:28.to the recording. Now to Sir Stuart Bell, who died
:50:28. > :50:31.last weekend at the age of 74. Sir Stuart was the MP for Middlesbrough
:50:31. > :50:34.for 29 years and often a controversial figure. Fergus
:50:34. > :50:40.Hewison has been looking back at his long and varied career -
:50:40. > :50:46.including some lively moments in this very studio.
:50:46. > :50:51.This week, the House of Commons paid tribute. His depth was
:50:51. > :50:56.incredibly sudden. The condolences of this side of the House go to his
:50:56. > :51:01.family. The son of a miner, he became a successful barrister,
:51:01. > :51:03.working in France before returning to the UK to enter Parliament and a
:51:03. > :51:09.present Middlesbrough. There, he defended families wrongly accused
:51:09. > :51:12.of abusing their children. children can now get on with their
:51:12. > :51:17.lives. They lost their innocence in this crisis and some of their
:51:17. > :51:20.childhood, they have suffered enormous pressures. They have never
:51:21. > :51:28.been able to recover. We later, he famously clashed with the man
:51:28. > :51:37.seeking to be elected mayor, Ray Mallon. He is trying to kill me up.
:51:37. > :51:46.I have news - I will not be intimidated. If Ray Mallon is
:51:46. > :51:52.elected mayor, it is you like that. You would have to resign. No, no.
:51:52. > :51:58.After that, they made up. remember that particular argument
:51:59. > :52:05.extremely well. But what have to say is, from the day I was elected
:52:05. > :52:12.from the mayor, our relationship was perfect. There were still
:52:12. > :52:22.controversy lurking in the shape of MP's expenses. Stuart Bell stuck to
:52:22. > :52:23.
:52:23. > :52:27.his guns. Do you agree that MPs who claimed more than that amount are
:52:27. > :52:31.excessive? The this is not a matter of the need. They were entitled to
:52:31. > :52:36.claim what they claimed. Then there was a revelation last year that he
:52:36. > :52:41.has not held a surgery in his constituency since 1997. He held
:52:41. > :52:47.back, saying he had not made one since being attacked at one. But he
:52:47. > :52:51.was dubbed Britain's laziest MP. is totally untrue. We work seven
:52:51. > :52:54.days a week and we have done that the 30 years. We've been re-elected
:52:54. > :53:00.seven times, we have had seven mandates from the people of
:53:00. > :53:08.Middlesbrough. His funeral will be on October 27th. A by-election will
:53:08. > :53:11.take place in his seat, usually a safe one for Labour. I want to
:53:11. > :53:14.protect the interest of Middlesbrough. Therefore, I want to
:53:14. > :53:19.see an outstanding Member of Parliament bought into place for
:53:19. > :53:27.this town. I intend to be the candidate list. If I don't believe
:53:27. > :53:33.that candidate list is high quality, I will intervene. I will stand, it
:53:33. > :53:40.is as simple as that. Ray Mallon could be a man to watch over the
:53:40. > :53:46.next few weeks. Michael Bates, what do you remember about Stuart Bell?
:53:46. > :53:49.He had these two images and lives. One was how he was eat in the
:53:49. > :53:59.constituency. But in Parliament committee was huge. A very popular
:53:59. > :54:03.figure. -- in Parliament, he was huge. He was always around with a
:54:03. > :54:09.smile. And also what I admired about him was, when we talk about
:54:09. > :54:13.social mobility, he was the son of a minor who went off, trained as a
:54:13. > :54:18.lawyer, an international barrister, then came back to the House of
:54:18. > :54:22.Lords and served with distinction. So lots of positives out of the
:54:22. > :54:28.great live well it. Julie Elliott, he did become a contentious figure.
:54:28. > :54:38.Did the good out whether that? course it did. He was a very large
:54:38. > :54:50.
:54:50. > :55:00.beget. -- did a good away the bad? -- did the good outweigh the bad?
:55:00. > :55:01.
:55:01. > :55:06.He will be missed. He was a very big figure in Parliament. One of
:55:06. > :55:11.the MPs said that Ray Mallon was a bit disrespectful. What do you
:55:11. > :55:15.think? A I think people should wait until after the funeral to comment.
:55:15. > :55:20.Anybody is entitled to stand for Parliament, but they should let the
:55:20. > :55:22.dust settle before the process takes place.
:55:22. > :55:25.Now, national politicians are sometimes accused of ignoring the
:55:25. > :55:29.north. That's not a charge you can level at Nick Clegg. His visits to
:55:29. > :55:32.the North East are becoming almost routine - and he was back again on
:55:32. > :55:42.Friday. Here's Mark Denten with that and all the rest of the week's
:55:42. > :55:48.
:55:48. > :55:51.The Deputy PM had the latest visit. More good economic news -
:55:51. > :55:57.unemployment in the north-east is down and, below 10% for the first
:55:57. > :56:01.time since 2010. It is still highest in the UK. Alan Milburn
:56:01. > :56:06.says universities need to do more to recruit students from poorer
:56:06. > :56:10.backgrounds. Based should take some of that money and applied to kids
:56:10. > :56:15.who are studying in disadvantaged schools in hard-pressed areas, to
:56:15. > :56:20.give them a financial incentive. Plans to abolish the Agricultural
:56:20. > :56:24.wages Board have been condemned. The board is the most effective way
:56:24. > :56:29.to insure that regional part-time young and full-time employees in
:56:29. > :56:32.the farming industry and not exploited. And the see that Tony
:56:32. > :56:42.Blair represented - said field could disappear off the political
:56:42. > :56:44.
:56:44. > :56:46.Mark Denten. Well, the North East has one of the worst records in
:56:46. > :56:54.getting youngsters from poorer backgrounds into university. And
:56:54. > :56:57.that report by Alan Milburn aims to turn that around. His idea of
:56:57. > :57:00.universities paying grants to encourage students to stay on at A-
:57:00. > :57:08.level, could it make a difference? I think you need a combination of
:57:08. > :57:11.things. I think they are being stopped in education at 16 at the
:57:11. > :57:18.moment. So years focused on the right issue, but universities don't
:57:18. > :57:24.have the capacity to fund it. trying to solve the problem your
:57:24. > :57:32.government has created by getting rid of educational maintenance.
:57:32. > :57:37.think even Alan Milburn wouldn't say Conservatives created it.
:57:37. > :57:41.Education grants were claimed for by up to 40% of students. We're
:57:41. > :57:47.making sure it is focused on those with free school meals. That is the
:57:47. > :57:53.area we need to focus on. We need to be sure we get advancement for
:57:53. > :57:56.the poorest in our society. Where we need to start, and where Alan
:57:56. > :58:04.Milburn the mentioned in his report, we need to raise standards at
:58:04. > :58:14.school level at A-levels. I think we are seeing now with our new
:58:14. > :58:15.
:58:15. > :58:18.systems of education. One of the other ideas is to give students
:58:19. > :58:22.from poorer backgrounds low offers to get into university. Would he be
:58:22. > :58:27.comfortable with that sort of discrimination? Personally, I
:58:27. > :58:31.wouldn't. I think we should be raising the standards for students
:58:31. > :58:36.at the bottom, not lowering the bar at the top. That is where we need
:58:36. > :58:40.to focus our efforts. So why would not be in favour of that. Many
:58:40. > :58:44.universities do a fantastic job to reach out to their community and
:58:44. > :58:50.get people into higher education. Julie Elliott, is that an idea to
:58:50. > :58:53.help poor students? I don't think we need positive discrimination. I
:58:53. > :58:58.think we need a broader look at what we need to get to university.
:58:58. > :59:02.It should not be focused entirely on the grades you get at A-level. I
:59:02. > :59:07.think a broader into the process and looking at people's ability
:59:07. > :59:11.looking forward would be much fairer. Alan Milburn did not
:59:11. > :59:15.mention cutting fees in this. He obviously does not believe it is a
:59:15. > :59:22.big disincentive for students. is a massive disincentive. This
:59:22. > :59:25.year, the numbers have fallen this year. People who have gone to
:59:25. > :59:34.university this year were already in the process, the A-level process,
:59:34. > :59:38.when that these changed. And that's about all from us. We're
:59:38. > :59:40.back next Sunday at 11.00am, when my guests will include the MPs for